Popper: Wherever Nets go, dysfunction follows

Avery Johnson, in the wake of his dismissal as head coach of the Nets on Thursday morning, at least can take solace in this: He is in good company.

He departs the way that so many others have, whether it was Chuck Daly tiring of the comic opera after two years, John Calipari being walked across the arena in Miami to his firing, or Larry Brown, given the choice between the Nets and the University of Kansas, wisely choosing Kansas.

The common denominator? An accomplished coach gone and the dysfunction remaining behind.

Maybe it was foolish to think that packing up a truck and deserting New Jersey after 35 years for a new home in Brooklyn would make it all go away. A shiny — well, actually an intentionally rusty — arena in Brooklyn and hot-selling new uniforms may provide cover, but the Nets are still the Nets. And 28 games into their run in their new home, they have lost claim to being anything like the Brooklyn Dodgers, who at least were lovable in their better-luck-next-year existence.

Today, the Nets are a throwback only to their own twisted history. Consider this: Among the faces of the franchise, from Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov to general manager Billy King to underachieving star Deron Williams and even CEO and suddenly open tweeter Brett Yormark, all have something in common Johnson never did: a history of mediocrity at best and losing too often.

“I think a lot of times being a coach is not always fair,” Johnson said. “You’re not always going to get a fair shake because we don’t own the teams, we coach. If I was owning the team, I wouldn’t have gotten fired today. I wouldn’t have fired myself.

“I know what I’m dealing with, and I know what the future can hold. But it doesn’t work that way. This is not about the fair game. A lot of times it’s about the blame game. Because a lot of times in this business the coach gets blamed. Whether it’s fair is not the point. That’s just the way it happens.”

Johnson was 194-70 in four seasons in Dallas, but saw his reputation and his record fade with a 46-102 in his first two seasons with the Nets. The move to Brooklyn, as if a pretty new facade was supposed to turn the fortunes, raised expectations. Johnson earned NBA Coach of the Month honors in November. But December turned sour and in a matter of weeks suddenly Johnson lost the locker room, the faith of Williams and his job even though the team sits at 14-14, right about where a building team should be.

While there have been plenty of qualified coaches to find the same fate with the Nets, perhaps no other member of the organization ever had it figured out as well as Bill Fitch. In 1991, when rumors were rampant that the ownership group had plotted to replace him with Jim Valvano a week later, Fitch eyed a tough four-game schedule for that week and joked, “They’re saying Valvano is coming next week. Well, I’m looking at New York, Cleveland, Chicago and Indiana this week and I’m saying, ‘Hey, what’s wrong with this week?’”

P.J. Carlesimo takes over now, and you can be certain it’s an interim job since ownership has bottomless pockets and the meddling voices in management have a fascination with star power. Those star candidates would be well-served though to sift through the history that left others in the rubble.

The centerpiece of the team is Williams, who, one person familiar with the front office workings, said was a nightmare from the day the team traded for him until he was finally coaxed into committing to a long-term max contract this summer. He has been a nightmare in December, too, underachieving on the court and almost unbelievably longing for a chance to play under the system he played for in Utah — under head coach Jerry Sloan, an NBA lifer who decided to walk away from the game rather than deal with Williams.

“I thought when I came here I was following the vision of what we were trying to do,” Johnson said. “For two years we were going to be a pretty bad team. Then in the third year we’d improve our talent and give it a go. Then we got off to a pretty good start, and we’re sitting at .500. And when you’re a .500 team, you’re literally still in the playoffs.”

Johnson said he was caught off guard, which maybe was his most foolish move. While winners have been hired in the franchise, they are discarded just as quickly. Lawrence Frank was a loyal soldier who was undercut by front office meddling. Rod Thorn was a legend in the league who despised the sneaky sniping of management. King, who handed the blame for Johnson’s firing on ownership, must be aware that if he didn’t already land a contract extension his job might be just as shaky.

Caught off guard, Avery? History would tell you, whether the address is Brooklyn or East Rutherford, Newark or New Brunswick, the Nets have always been the same. Dysfunction rules. Let them have it.Email: popper@northjersey.com